Heat activatable modular structural member, its use and process for the direct glazing of vehicles and adhesive therefor

ABSTRACT

The storable modular component, especially a storable glass module, is prepared for assembly by gluing to another component without using an additional assembly glue. Along its edge it displays a profiled bead of a latent reactive adhesive which includes predominantly one or more polyurethane preproducts consisting of polyols and/or polyamines and encapsuled polyiscocyantes, or one or more polyurethanes with radically polymerizable groups. In this case the reaction of the adhesive can be initiated at an activation temperature of 70 to 180° C. At the same time, it remains tacky and nonflowing but plastically deformable for a time sufficient for assembly. The stated materials are capable of being activated by being supplied with electrical, electromagnetic or magnetic energy or by infrared radiation. The adhesive may contain magnetized and/or electrically conductive fillers. The glass module is used for direct glazing of vehicles, especially automobiles.

This application is a division of Ser. No. 08/318,702 filed on Oct. 11,1994.

The invention concerns

a heat activated modular component useful for the direct glazing ofvehicles, especially automobiles;

a process for direct glazing of vehicles, especially automobiles, usingthe modular components; and

an adhesive useful for such glazing.

From the publications EP-B1-0 345 134, EP-B1-0 312 296 and EP-B1-0 351369 prefabricated vehicle windows are already known for direct glazingby gluing into a frame, flange or the like which along their edgedisplay a first trough-profiled adhesive strip which is elastically butnot plastically deformable and which is provided with a second adhesivestrip, possibly covered by a protective shell and/or capable of beingactivated, of a material chemically compatible with the first adhesivestrip. Such prefabricated vehicle windows can be used as a ready-toinstall-component for gluing into vehicle bodies without using anadditional assembly glue.

In this case the preparation of the vehicle window is performedseparately in time and space from the actual installation of the window.In other words, the pane of glass can be prepared as a ready to installindependent component in an optimized environment with ideal timing andunder the best conditions to such an extent that it is necessary only toremove the protective shell has to be removed and/or to activate thesecond adhesive.

Suitable materials for the second adhesive strip named there are:

(a) oxidatively hardening adhesive substances

These must be stored with exclusion of air and oxygen and thereforemodules absolutely require a protective foil or protective shell.

(b) Moisture-reactive adhesives

These must be stored under exclusion of moisture and therefore alsoabsolutely require a protective foil or protective shell.

(c) Thermoplastic adhesives

The classical melting adhesives called "hot melts" are solid at roomtemperature and when warmed to a certain temperature generally lyingabove 150° C. they become paste-like. A covering by a protective foil orprotective shell is not absolutely necessary here, except possibly toprotect against soiling and mechanical damage. In order to arrive atsatisfactory thermal stability, such products for the auto industry musthave a softening point above 120° C. Such nonreactive adhesives are notused for structural joints and for gluing safety parts in vehicleconstruction.

(d) Thermosetting adhesives

These differ from the thermoplastic adhesives mentioned under (c) in thefact that at a certain critical temperature T_(k) they are irreversiblycured or hardened. Therefore when the second adhesive strip is appliedto the first adhesive strip they can only be warmed up to a certainfirst transition temperature T₁ lying below the critical temperatureT_(k). Such products are available but they are eithermoisture-sensitive and require a covering foil or else they must be heldat the curing temperature until they are totally cured.

(e) Slow reacting two-component systems

By a suitable choice of chemical composition these systems can beadjusted to a suitable open time. Here also a covering with a protectivefoil or protective shell is not absolutely necessary. However, thesesystems are very long in curing and require long fixation afterinstallation.

All of the solutions named except variant (c) share the feature that thesecond adhesive partial strip requires shielding of the firsttrough-shaped cured partial strip. In addition the trough shape fasthardening adhesive partial strip must be selected such that thediffusion of moisture through the material is practically zero in orderto achieve a storage capacity of more than a few days. This limits thepossibilities of the choice of material greatly so that themoisture-hardening polyurethanes in particular may not be used.

The use of covering foils or protective shells such as is necessary inthe above mentioned publications is problematic in two respects. First,it is difficult to seal the coverings against the trough-shaped partialstrip, especially in the curved areas. Second, the covering material isan undesired waste product which must be collected and recycled.

In Table I typical guideline values for the most important properties ofsome of the materials named in the publications cited are given.

                  TABLE I                                                         ______________________________________                                                                           Open                                       Substance                                                                              Storage                   Time                                       Group    Time       Activation     (min.)                                     ______________________________________                                        (a)      2-6 mos.   O.sub.2 contact after removal                                                                10-30                                                          of protective foil                                        (b)      30 min.-   air humidity after                                                                           10-30                                               2 wks.     removal of protective                                                         foil                                                      (c)      6-12       heat           5 sec.-                                             mos.                      1 min.                                     (d)      6-12       heat after removal of                                                                        20                                                  mos.       protective foil                                                                              sec.-3                                                                        min.                                       (e)      30-180     --             30-240                                              mins.                                                                ______________________________________                                    

In the meanwhile, however, requirements have been imposed on theautomobile industry which cannot be satisfied by the above-mentionedsubstance group. The increasing automation on the assembly line requiresa reduction in assembly line components by modulization, i.e. previousassembly of modules in special preassembly islands or preferably by thesupplier. Since this solution also entails indirect advantages inadministration and logistics not to mention waste disposal costs, it isexpected to spread to other branches of industry also. In the case ofdirect glazing the elimination of machines such as pumps and robots orthe reduction in their number also signifies a saving of space and areduction of the risks related to the use of chemicals. However, on theother hand, it also means that such prefabricated modules are generallystable over a sufficiently long storage and transportation time of 1 to3 months. In addition solutions which require special packages and whichcause waste products or recycling operations are less desired.

In addition, cycle times are demanded which are far below the cycletimes that are realizable with the above mentioned substance groups. Inparticular cycle times of less than 50 s are required within which sucha module is made capable of being glued and installed. Furthermore, theassembly should be possible without conventional aids such asintermediate parts, spacers, adhesive tapes etc. which previously wereused to prevent slipping.

In the rest of industry also the need exists for a jointing system bystructural gluing of component parts in which the adhesive is alreadypreapplied to the joint partners which, on the one hand, is capable ofstorage and transportations, but on the other can be joined within shortassembly cycles and can subsequently be worked further as a wholewithout a waiting period.

The purpose of the invention was now to create a storable heatactivatable modular structural component and a process for gluing amodular component to another component, especially for direct glazing ofvehicles, which satisfies these requirements. This problem is solved bya storable modular component according to the general part of claim 1according to the invention by the fact that it displays along its edge aprofiled adhesive strip of a latent reactive adhesive which consistspredominantly of:

one or more polyurethanes with blocked isocyanate groups, or

one or more polyurethane preproducts which consists of polyols and/orpolyamines and of encapsuled polyisocyanates, or

one or more polyurethanes with radically polymerizable groups,

in which the reaction can be initiated at an activation temperature of70 to 90° C., and which simultaneously remains tacky and nonflowing butplastically deformable for a time sufficient for assembly.

The process according to the invention for direct glazing of vehiclesaccording to the general part of claim 24 is characterized by the factthat one applies:

along the edge of the modular component a profiled adhesive strip of alatently reactive adhesive consisting predominantly of:

one or more polyurethanes with blocked isocyanate groups,

one or more polyurethane-preproducts consisting of polyols and/orpolyamines and of encapsuled polyisocyanates, or

or or more polyurethanes with radically polymerizable groups,

in the soft state;

the adhesive strip, if necessary after heating to its activationtemperature of 70 to 180° C. along its contact surface with the modularcomponent is allowed to harden in order to bring it to reaction,

the thus obtained storable modular component, if necessary afterintermediate storage, is transported to an assembly line,

if necessary, the uncured parts of the adhesive are brought to react atleast along the contact area with the modular component by rapid heatingto an activation temperature of 70 to 180° C. and thenon-pressure-deformable part of the adhesive is made plasticallydeformable but non-flowing over the entire cross-section,

the modular component is brought together with the other component towhich it is to be glued, pressed together at a preassigned joiningdistance, if necessary the still unactivated part of the adhesive israpidly heated to the activation temperature of 70 to 180° C. forinitiation of the reaction and the joint immobilized at least until theadhesive has set and then allows to finish reacting without takingfurther action, with the qualification that the difference between theapplication temperature and the activation temperature of the adhesivesis at least 20° C.

According to a preferred version the adhesive along its contact surfacewith the modular component may already be brought to reaction followingapplication of the bead of adhesive by exposure to heat moreparticularly the adhesive is already cured along its contact surfacewith the modular component.

Preferably the softening point of the adhesive is 25 to 80° C.,preferably 35 to 60° C. Preferably the activation temperature of theadhesive is 70 to 150°, preferably 80 to 120° C. This has the advantagethat the bonding of the adhesive to its support is already assured uponarrival at the assembly site. In this way in the case when the adhesivebecomes plastically deformable, a pretreatment of the component beforeinstallation may be entirely omitted. If the adhesive melts attemperatures above 35° C., in this case warming of the still uncuredpart of the adhesive to a temperature above its melting point issufficient.

The latently reactive adhesives used according to the invention in apreferred version contain one or more polyurethane prepolymers withblocked isocyanate groups or radically polymerizable groups or polyols,polyamines and encapsuled polyisocyanates where at least one of thecomponents of the adhesive is crystallizing and the mixture for theoverwhelming part melts between 25 and 80° C., preferably between 35 and60° C. Preferably, the adhesive consists predominantly of one or morepolyurethanes with acrylate or methacrylate end groups and contains theadditives necessary for initiation and control of the radicalpolymerization.

In another variant a mixture of noncrystallizing polyurethaneprepolymers and crystallizing polyurethane prepolymers or a mixture ofnoncrystallizing and crystallizing polymeric polyols are used incombination with polyamines and encapsuled isocyanates. In this case thetwo types of polyurethane prepolymers may also be combined in acopolymer with crystallizing and noncrystallizing molecule parts. As thecrystallizing components, for example, one may use the reaction productsof diisocyanates with crystallizing polyether polyols such aspolytetrahydrofuran, polyethylene glycol, with crystallizingpolycarbonate polyols, as well as those obtained by reaction of1,4-butanediol with diarylcarbonates, e.g. diphenylcarbonates orphosgene or, polyester amide polyol.

Other examples of crystallizing components are the polyester polyolssuch as polycaprolactone or butanediol-adipic acidhexanediolpolycondensates or polyesteramide polyols which are obtainable, e.g. byreaction of a carbonyl-terminated polyamide oligomer withhydroxyl-terminated polyethylene terephthalate oligomers or the reactionproducts of said polyols with diisocyanates.

Preferably the adhesive is solid at room temperature. Preferably amaximum of 20 weight percent, preferably 5 to 15 weight percent of thepolyols serving to construct the polyurethanes are polyester polyols,while the remainder are polyether polyols. In another embodiment, theadhesive is a hot melt adhesive with a softening point above 80° C. Thedifference between the softening point and the activation temperature isat least 20° C., preferable at least 30° C. Preferably, the modularcomponent is capable of being stored under ambient conditions below 30°C. for at least 14 days, preferably for at least 2 months.

As crystallizing components in addition one may also use nonreactivesubstances such as solid softeners, e.g. stearates or hydrogenatedricinus oil or its derivatives.

Another possibility consists in mixing thermoplastics into the latentreacted polyurethane prepolymer. Examples of such thermoplastics areethylene-acrylate copolymers, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers,ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers and thermoplastic polyurethanes.

Another group of crystallizing components is the reaction products ofdiisocyanates with short-chained diols, which form hard segments. Asprotective groups for blocking the isocyanate groups of the prepolymer,in principle, H-active compounds may be used which can be split offagain below the temperature of the polyurethanes. Oximes, phenols andlactams are especially suitable with blocked phenol, ketoxime orepsilon-caprolactam compounds being more preferred.

Depending on the blocking group it may be necessary, in order to lowerthe deblocking temperatures, to add catalysts. Suitable catalysts areorganometal catalysts such as dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTL), metal saltsand organic acids of the tertiary amines such as triethylenediamine. Inthis case to lengthen the storage capacity of the latently reactive hotmelt adhesives it is desirable to use amine catalysts in the form oftheir salts with organic acids.

The adhesives according to the invention may additionally contain lowmolecular polyfunctional compounds such as polyols, e.g.trimethylolpropane or polyamines such as diethyltoluene diamine forpartial pre-crosslinking of the hot adhesives during activation. Insteadof these polyfunctional compounds one may use latent amine hardenerssuch as dicyanodiamide, phthalic acid anhydride-amine adducts, methylenedianiline salt complexes or other latent hardeners such as are known tothe expert.

Instead of polyurethanes with block isocyanate groups, according to theinvention, polyurethane preproducts may also be used whosepolyisocyanates are low molecular solid compounds which are protected bya shell of urea and cannot react at room temperature with the H-activecompounds. As H-active compounds one preferably uses macromolecularpolyols and/or polyamines and possible additionally low molecular diolsand/or aromatic diamines as chain lengtheners. Alternatively,polyurethane prepolymers with hydroxyl or aromatic amine end groups maybe used in combination with the blocked polyisocyanate.

The blocking of the isocyanates is preferably achieved with aliphaticprimary or secondary amines such as are described in the publicationEP-B1-0 062 780.

Upon activation of the adhesive by heat, the urea shell is destroyed bythis and the polyisocyanate liberated. The latter reacts immediatelywith the H-active compounds. Suitable solid polyisocyanates are, forexample, dimeric 4,4'-diisocyanato-diphenyl methane,3,3'-diisocyanato-4,4'-dimethyl-N,N'-diphenyl-urea, trimetric isophorondiisocyanate or 1,4-phenylene diisocyanate. If polyurethane prepolymerswith hydroxyl end groups are used as the H-active compounds, then by theproper choice of the functionality and reactivity it is possible uponheat activation to obtain the corresponding prepolymers with freeisocyanate end groups which subsequently react with air humidity andcrosslink the polyurethanes. Another preferred version of the latentlyreactive adhesives is based on polyurethanes whose chain ends displayradically polymerizable groups. Such groups are preferably acrylate ormethacrylate groups such as can be obtained by reacting isocyanatefunctional prepolymers with OH functional acrylates or methacrylates,e.g. 2-hydroxyethylacrylate or 3-hydropropyl-acrylate or by reacting OHor NH functional prepolymers with isocyanatoacrylates or methacylates.

In this variant the adhesives are activated along the contact surfacewith the support module upon application of the adhesive bead or beforethe joining of the module by exposure to heat.

In that version of the invention which envisions the prehardening of theadhesive along its contact surface with the support, the duration andintensity of heat exposure is selected such that the thickness of thecured layer is less than the intended minimum thickness of the adhesivejoint to be formed after joining. Preferably the cured layer thus formedis not significantly thinner, because thus after joining the remainingpart still to be cured of the adhesive is minimal. In this case thecuring after assembly is possible by heat conduction from the hot jointpartner even in the case of thick adhesive joints.

The adhesive may additionally contain organometal compounds or tertiaryamines as catalysts. The adhesive may contain softeners (plastizers),thixotropic agents and/or fillers. The adhesive may contain megnatizableand/or electrically conducting fillers. The adhesive may contain 2 to 20weight percent, preferably 5 to 15 weight percent gamma iron oxide.

In a preferred embodiment at least one black essentially lightimpermeable coating is arranged between the glass and the adhesive bead.Preferably the black coating contains pigments or other fillers whichliberate heat in an electrical, elecromagnetic or magnetic field.

Preferably the adhesive before application is heated to a temperature of35 to 60° C. and that the profiled adhesive bead is not deformed afterit solidifies when handled. The adhesive can be conveyed without aheated vat pump at room temperature lying above 10° C. and beforedischarge as a bead is warmed to a temperature of 35 to 60° C.,preferably 40 to 50° C. Preferably the adhesive is applied through anozzle or by doctor blade.

The above mentioned adhesive materials for adhesive strips have a numberof advantages compared to the known materials:

Under ambient conditions they are capable of being stored for up to 3months without the need for special protective measures such as coveringfoils or lacquer films. Nevertheless they can be activated within a fewseconds to a few minutes.

The above mentioned materials according to a preferred version arealready soft and tacky above 35° C. and therefore capable of forming ajoint. At the same time at room temperature they are essentially solidand do not deform when handled.

Preferred materials are capable of being pumped already at a temperatureT_(p) of 50 to 60° C. and display a first transition point t₁ from 40 to50° C.

The activation and the initiation of crosslinking in a preferred versionis already achieved at a temperature T_(k) of 80° C. so that a rapid andunproblematic activation is possible.

Said materials may be pumped from a supply container to the applicator,e.g. a nozzle or a doctor blade without starting the activation andwithout noticeably aging.

Said materials, in a preferred version, after application rapidly returnto a state in which they are dry and touchable. As a result a rapidrhythmical production of precoated modules is possible.

Said materials can be heated to the activation temperature withoutlosing their shape.

The activation and, if necessary, the partial crosslinking can beinitiated within 2 minutes, preferably within 1 minute, in an especiallypreferred version, even within 30 seconds, and the curing continuesbeyond assembly. Such short activation and reaction times are to be hadwhen polyurethane preproducts are used in combination with encapsuledsolid polyisocyanates. Simultaneously with activation the adhesive inbrought into a plastic form. During installation and subsequent fixationthe adhesive hardens again so that the glass pane is firmly seatedwithout slipping or springing back.

Said materials can be activated by the introduction of electrical,electromagnetic, or magnetic energy and softened at the same timewithout the occurrence of local overheating.

In a preferred version using blocked isocyanate prepolymers orencapsuled isocyanates the above mentioned materials display enoughactive isocyanate groups to anchor themselves to the substrates to beglued, especially a lacquered substrate and to build up anaging-resistant joint.

In another version which permits especially simple activation theadhesive is activated only along its contact surface with its support.

In order to activate the glass module according to the invention, inprinciple, any form of heat may be used. However, heating in aconventional convection oven is not suitable for reaching a rapidintegral heating of the latently reactive adhesive. Following this,therefore the glass itself and a possible border frame are jointlywarmed to the same extent, which for the case that immediate adhesion isachieved after assembly by cooling and crystallization of the adhesive,is obstructive to rapid adhesion after assembly without additionalreinforcement. However, if the adhesive bead along its contact surfacewith the support module has already been activated, then air with atemperature below the activation temperature is suitable for melting theremaining adhesive.

In the case when infrared radiators are used it is possible to achieve arapid and specific heating of the adhesives from the surface. However,the problem is that the surface is slightly overheated before the baseof the plastic bead reaches the necessary activation temperature.

In one embodiment on the assembly line the adhesive is brought toreaction rapidly along the contact surface by infrared rays passingthrough the glass pane and is made plastically deformable over itsentire cross section.

On the other hand, infrared radiation is very well suited for activatingthe base of the adhesive along its surface with the support. In thiscase the modular component is irradiated from the back side. This isadvantageous especially for glass modules where the thermal radiationpenetrates the glass practically without obstacle and heats the adhesiveon its contact surface or interface with the glass. Although anintermediate layer is present between the adhesive and the glasssurface, especially the customary black enamel paint and possibly ablack primer for masking and protecting the adhesive interface againstdamaging ultraviolet radiation and under some conditions a profiledplastic mass for holding the glass edge, this method permits a rapid andspecific heating of the adhesive without significantly heating the glasssupport.

A modification of this method consists in using, instead of infraredradiators, a beam-expanded relatively long wave laser, e.g. an Nd-YAGlaser which drives the contact surface toward the glass from the backside of the glass.

The heating with infrared radiation, especially with bright radiation,is well suited for activating the adhesive only after assembly or thejoining of the modular components according to the invention even if thelatter has not yet cured on its contact surface on the support. This isespecially the case when a glass module is involved, and the method isespecially effective if the joint partner consists of a fully heatconducting material, especially of plastic.

It has been found that electrical, electromagnetic or magnetic energycan be used advantageously for the integral activation of the adhesivestrip. By allowing this form of energy to act specifically on the massof the adhesive bead, it is possible, if the process is properlyconducted, to heat the adhesive to the activation temperature in timesof less than 30 seconds without the disturbing manifestation of theproblems mentioned above in connection with the other heating methods.

In the range of electromagnetic energy from 1 to 1000 kHz, magneticinduction is the preferred heating source. This source of energy isalready used in the automobile industry for direct heating of two-shellsteel components such as doors or engine hoods, for gluing reinforcingparts to the outer shells. To be sure in such cases the adhesive itselfis heated only indirectly by thermal conduction through the steel parts.If the adhesive itself is warmed, then magnetizable and/or electricallyconducting fillers must be contained in it which emit or release theirheat to the matrix. A good description of the mechanism of heating andthe fillers suitable for this application is to be found in A. Goldman,Modern Ferrite Technology, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York (1990).

Preferably the adhesive contains ferromagentic and/or electricallyconducting filter. On the assembly line it is heated in the alternatingmagnetic field at 10 to 1000 kHz, preferably at 100 to 500 kHz.

Preferred fillers are magnetizable iron oxides such as ferrites,magnetites, gamma iron oxides which are available on the market in veryfine grain sizes. Even at relative weight portions of less than 15 wt. %these permit heating up to 150° C. in less than 30 s. However, it isalso possible in principle to use electrically conductive fillers suchas iron powders or steel fibers.

When heated in the high frequency (HF) or in the radio frequency (RF)field in the range from 1 to 300 MHz one is limited to theinternationally established frequencies for industrial applications (seeTable 2). Besides this, as opposed to magnetic induction, a specialscreening of the radiation zone against the environment may benecessary.

                  TABLE 2                                                         ______________________________________                                        Industrially useful frequencies in the                                        RF and MW range (status February 1993).                                       ______________________________________                                        RF (radio frequencies)                                                        13.56 MHz +/- 0.05%                                                                              27.12 MHz +/- 0.6%                                         40.68 MHz +/- 0.05%                                                           MW (microwaves)                                                               433 MHz            416 MHz                                                    850 MHz            915 MHz                                                    2.4 to 2.5 GHz     5.725 to 5.875 GHz                                         24 to 24.250 GHz   61 to 61.5 GHz                                             122 to 123 GHz     244 to 246 GHz                                             ______________________________________                                    

With this technique the dipoles of the adhesive molecules are exciteddirectly to rotation, and through the corresponding dielectric losses,the matrix is heated up. The adhesive for this purpose is brought intothe interior of the variable electromagnetic field which is built upbetween two electrodes adapted to the shape of the adhesive strip. Withthis method it is also possible to heat the adhesive bead up to 150° C.in less than 30 seconds.

Another variant of fast deep-acting energy introduction is microwave.Preferably the heating of the adhesive by microwave radiation takesplace in an electromagnetically shielded room, where the microwaves arecoupled in a resonance oscillation circuit mounted over the crosssection of the adhesive bead that is automatically tuned to the mass ofthe adhesive bead that is automatically tuned to the mass of theadhesive. Process as characterized by the fact that the adhesivecontains electrically conductive fillers and that it is heated on theassembly line by being wired as an ohmic resistance with direct oralternating current. The permissible wavebands are listed in Table 2.The energy in this case is fed from a transmitter through a waveguideinto a resonance-oscillation circuit mounted over the cross section ofthe adhesive strip. At this time the oscillation circuit must to tunedto the mass of the adhesive strip in such a way that standing waves arenot formed in order to assure uniform heating of the bead over theentire module surface.

The microwave energy in the electromagnetic range from 0.3 to 5 GHz alsoacts directly on the macromolecules of the adhesive by dipole excitationand dielectric losses. It is also possible to accelerate the warmingthrough conductive fillers such as soot or polar fillers. Thus with thistechnique a temperature of over 150° C. can also be reached in 30seconds. This technique requires a careful screening of the workroomfrom the outside, because microwave radiation is dangerous for the humanorganism. In order better to control the heating in the microwave fieldit may be helpful to introduce the energy in a pulsating mode.

Other principles of this technique are found in: G. Nimitz, Microwaves,Wissenschaftsverlag, Zurich (1990).

Another suitable form of energy for rapid mass-active heating foractivation of the hot melt adhesive is to hook up the adhesive stripthat has been made conductive to a DC or AC voltage source. Withconductive fillers, it is known, the conductivity of organic materialscan be increased by several powers of 10. For this purpose frequentlyconductive fillers such as soot, graphite, metal flakes etc. are used.Especially suitable for the present invention are fibrous conductivefillers such as steel fibers which can raise the conductivity by up tofactor of 10⁵. In this way it becomes possible by mixing in fillers ofthis type in in the range 5 to 10 wt. %, to produce products which, whenthe module is connected to a grid voltage source, heat it up to 150° C.in less than in 30 seconds.

In order to achieve a uniform distribution of the heat in the case ofelectric, electromagnetic, or magnetic heating of the hot melt adhesivebead it may be advisable if the coating normally applied over the edgezone directly on the glass which serves for optic masking or forprotection of the adhesive bead, contains pigments which liberate heatunder the influence of the above mentioned heating methods, e.g. metaloxides. Alternatively a primer which contains pigments such as soot mayalso be used. In order to concentrate the energy on the adhesive beadand to minimize the heating of other elements that are located on theglass module such as radio antennas or heating systems, it is desirableto focus the electromagnetic or magnetic field of the adhesive bead. Inaddition or alternatively conductive coverings can shield againstundesired heating. According to a preferred version the adhesive stripis not totally activated before installation but only along its contactsurface with the glass, i.e. to a layer thickness that is less than thenominal or minimal thickness of the adhesive after joining. In this casethe still unactivated part of the adhesive which in contact with thejoint partner is activated after joining. This can be done by heatingthe above mentioned inactive part of the adhesive strip by directexposure to heat, e.g. hot air, above the activation temperature.However, this method is less well suited if the joining partner isstrongly heat conducting and has a high mass. In this case it may bedifficult to activate the interface with the joint partner and toachieve a permanent adhesive bond with it.

A preferred method is to heat the joint partner at its contact pointwith the adhesive in such a way that the adhesive is heated andactivated by heat conduction from the joint partner. If the jointpartner displays generally or over the region of its joint zone a heatcapacity sufficient to warm the remaining still inactive adhesive massabove the activation temperature it is possible to heat the jointpartner before joining to a temperature sufficiently above theactivation temperature. In this case, however, one must make certain toremain sufficiently below the decomposition temperature of the adhesive.

If the joint partner consists of a ferromagnetic metal, inductiveheating via a magnetic induction field in the range from 1 to 1000 kHzit is recommended as an extremely fast heating method. This method isespecially well suited for the installation of components, especially ofpermanently glazed window panes, in vehicle bodies. In this case theflange is heated just before assembly or immediately after assembly ofthe window through the glass with an induction loop running parallel tothe flange. During the inductive heating the supply of energy isregulated by a closed regulating circuit in such a way that thetemperature remains sufficiently below the decomposition point of theadhesive or of the enamel.

Metallic joint partners, however, can also be heated by electricalresistance heating, radiation heat or heat conduction.

Nonmetallic joint partners, e.g. plastics, can be heated well byinfrared radiation, hot air or heat conduction. In this case, however,it is also possible by applying a high frequency field to heat theadhesive and if necessary the joint partner directly over the region ofthe entire adhesive joint. Alternatively one can also work with a highfrequency magnetic field, in which case the adhesive must containelectrically conducting or magnetizable fillers.

As mentioned above, the process according to the invention is especiallyadvantageous for use in vehicle assembly, since it permits theproduction of transportable and ready-to-glue components under optimalproduction conditions which require only heat activation in order tomake rapid assembly and practically immediately loadable gluingpossible.

After the glass module is applied to the vehicle frame or flange, thesheet metal, the adhesive can be inductively heated from the applicationside along the vehicle frame or flange and thus the still unactivatedpart of the adhesive is caused to react by heat conduction. The othercomponent to be joined to the modular component can be preheated to atemperature above the activation temperature and that after they arejoined together, through the heat flux from the other component thestill unactivated part of the adhesive is brought to reaction.

In Table 3 possible and especially preferred process variants madepossible by the present invention are compared.

Table 4 shows by the example of direct glazing of an auto with glassmodules according to the invention two versions with typical cycletimes.

                  TABLE 3                                                         ______________________________________                                        Process variants for the modular component                                            Activation                                                                              Activation 2                                                        1 during  on the    Melting on                                        Module/-                                                                              production                                                                              assembly  the                                               joint   of        line before                                                                             assembly                                                                              Residual                                  partner component installation                                                                            line    activation                                ______________________________________                                        1.      Heating of                                                                              None      Heating After                                     Glass/steel                                                                           contact             before  installation                                      area with           installa-                                                                             by heating of                                     support,            tion, e.g.                                                                            flange, e.g.                                      e.g. with           with hot                                                                              induction                                         IR/laser            air                                               2.      None      Heating the                                                                             With    Not necessary                             Glass/steel       entire bead,                                                                            activation                                                          e.g. with                                                                     induction                                                                     (possibly                                                                     combined                                                                      with IR                                                                       heating of                                                                    contact area)                                               3.      Heating of                                                                              None      Plasti- After                                     Glass/steel                                                                           contact             cally   installation                                      are with            deformable                                                                            by heating                                        support as          at room the flange,                                       in 1.               temp.   e.g. by                                                                       induction                                 4.      None      Heating of                                                                              By heat Immediateiy                               Glass/SMC*        contact area                                                                            conduction                                                                            before                                                      with support                                                                            from    induction by                                                e.g. with contact heating the                                                 IR/laser  area    joint partner                                                         during                                                                        activation                                        5.      Heating of                                                                              None      By hot air                                                                            After                                     SMC*/steel                                                                            contact                     installation                                      area with                   by heating                                        support,                    the joint                                         e.g. by IR                  partner, e.g.                                                                 by resistance                                                                 heating                                   6.      None      Heating of                                                                              By heat After                                     Glass/steel       contact area                                                                            conduction                                                                            installation                                                with support,                                                                           from    by eating the                                               e.g. by   contact flange by                                                   IR/laser  area    induction                                                             during  through glass                                                         activation                                        7.      None      None      Plasti- After joining                             Noryl**/-                   cally   by applying                               Noryl**                     deformable                                                                            HF field over                                                         at room both joint                                                            temp.   partners                                  8.      None      None      Plasti- After                                     Glass/steel                 cally   installation                                                          deformable                                                                            by heating                                                            at room the adhesive                                                          temp.   with IR/laser                                                                 through glass                             ______________________________________                                         *SMC = Sheet molding compound (not injectable)                                **Noryl GTX by General Electric (a thermoplastic)                        

                  TABLE 4                                                         ______________________________________                                        Typical cycle times of the process                                            according to the invention with a glass module and                            an adhesive bead solid at room temp.                                                             I.                                                                            With cured                                                                    contact                                                                       area with  II.                                                                glass up   Without                                                            to 2 mm    pre-                                                               thick      activation                                                         (secs.)    (secs.)                                         ______________________________________                                        Positioning of glass module along                                                                2          2                                               conveyer belt triggered by removal of                                         previous module                                                               A. Prescribed operations (advance                                             times)                                                                        Transfer of glass module from 7                                               conveyer belt to activation station                                           by a manipulator triggered by the                                             contact of the body in the previous                                           installation station (with a variable                                         time delay)                                                                   Blocking the activation station,                                                                            25                                              heating and activation along the                                              glass surface, unlocking triggered by                                         positioning of the module in the                                              activation station                                                            Total travel time vs. main operation                                                                        32                                              (within the assembly cycle)                                                   B. Main cycle times (robot coupled)                                           Measuring of flange position by                                                                  10         0                                               robot triggered by introduction and                                           locking of body                                                               Grasping of module, transfer                                                                     5          5                                               Position determination of flange                                                                 0          4                                               upon approach                                                                 Position of the module on flange                                                                 3          3                                               frame                                                                         Pressing module into opening and                                                                 27         17                                              simultaneous inductive heating of                                             flange                                                                        Robot to reset position                                                                          3          3                                               Total main cycle time                                                                            48         32                                              ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 1

400 g of a polyether diol with a mean molecular weight of 2000 g/moleare brought to react with 250 g of 4,4'-diphenyl-methane diisocyanateand 0.4 g of diazobicyclooctane as a catalyst with one another at 70° C.for 2 hours in a 2 liter glass reactor with a nitrogen connection. Then100 g of a crystalline softener, 33 g of a conventional softener and 600g of a polyether triol with a mean molecular weight of 300 g/mole areadded. The reaction mixture is stirred then for another 30 minutes at60° C. Then the isocyanate-terminated prepolymer is degassed, mixed withnitrogen and stored in a closed container.

EXAMPLE 2

300 grams of a polypropylene oxide diol and 350 g of apolytetrahydrofuran diol in each case with a mean molecular weight of2000 g/mole were caused to react with 480 g of 4,4'-diphenylmethanediisocyanate and 0.02 g of dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTL) as a catalyst at70° C. for 2 h in a 2 liter reactor with a nitrogen connection. Then 290g of a commercial softener and 50 g of a polyether triol with a meanmolecular weight of 1000 g/mole were added. The reaction mixture wasthen stirred for another 45 minutes at the same temperature. Then theisocyanate-terminated prepolymer was degassed, mixed with nitrogen andstored in a closed container.

EXAMPLE 3

400 grams of a polyether diol with a mean molecular weight of 2000g/mole were caused to react with 230 g of 4,4'-diphenyl-methanediisocyanate and 0.03 g of dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTL) as a catalyst at70° C. for 2 h in a 2 liter reactor with a nitrogen connection. Then 290g of a commercial softener and 380 g of a polyether triol with a meanmolecular weight of 3000 g/mole were added. The reaction mixture wasthen stirred for another 30 minutes at the same temperature. Then 50 gof an isocyanate terminated polyester prepolymer was added to thereaction mixture in a separate step and mixed at 60° C. Finally theprepolymer was degassed, mixed with nitrogen and stored in a closedcontainer.

EXAMPLE 4

235 wt. parts of a polypropylene oxide diol (OCZ 57) and 30 wt. parts ofa polyester diol (OHZ 32) were reacted with one another at 70° C. for 2hours in a 2 liter reactor with a nitrogen connection with 0.02 g ofdiazabicyclooctane as the catalyst. Then 382 wt. parts of a propyleneoxide triol (OHZ 36) and 226 wt. parts of a commercial softener wereadded. The reaction mixture was then stirred for another 30 minutes atthe same temperature. Then the isocyanate terminated prepolymer wasdegassed, mixed with nitrogen and stored in a closed container.

EXAMPLE 5

2000.0 g of isocyanate prepolymer of example 1 were warmed whilestirring in a stream of nitrogen to 70-80° C. Then in nitrogencountercurrent, 82.1 g of the blocking agent p-hydroxybenzoate was addedto the prepolymer. Then the reaction mixture was heated for 5 hours atthis temperature until the NCO absorption band in the infrared spectrum(2250 cm⁻¹) had totally vanished. After the cooling of the mixture toroom temperature the product was stored in a closed container.

EXAMPLE 6

2000.0 g of the isocyanate prepolymer of example 1 were warmed whilestirring in a stream of nitrogen to 70° C. in a 2 liter glass reactor.Then 46.2 g of the blocking agent methylethyl ketoxime were added. Thereaction mixture was held at this temperature for 0.5 h while stirred.The subsequent IR spectroscopic analysis showed the total disappearanceof the IR absorption band. After the mixture was cooled to roomtemperature the product was stored in a closed container.

EXAMPLE 7

2000.0 g of the isocyanate prepolymer of example 1 was warmed to 70° C.while stirred in a stream of nitrogen in a 2 liter glass reactor. Thiswas followed by the addition of 70.3 g of the blocking agentepsilon-caprolactam. Then the reaction was heated at 80° C. until thetotal disappearance of the NCO absorption band in the IR spectrum for 3hours. After cooling to room temperature the blocked prepolymer wasstored in a closed container.

EXAMPLE 8

300 g of p-hydroxybenzoate-blocked prepolymer from example 5 was heatedto 50° C. in a 1 liter reactor. After 1/2 hour degassing of theprepolymer 0.2 wt. % of the deblocking catalyst dibutyltin dilaurate(DBTL) was added and the evacuation continued for 15 minutes. Then theproduct was filled into cartridges for storage.

EXAMPLE 9

300 g of methyl ethyl ketoxime-blocked prepolymer from example 6 wereheated to 40° C. in a 1 liter reactor. After 1/2 hour degassing of theprepolymer, 0.2 wt. % of the catalyst blocked with formic acid was addedand evacuation continued for 15 minutes. Then the product was filledinto cartridges for storage.

EXAMPLE 10

300 g of the p-hydroxybenzoate-blocked prepolymer of example 5 wereheated to 50° C. in a 1 liter reactor. After 1/2 hour of degassing ofthe prepolymer 1 g of trimethylol propane and 0.2 wt. % of thedeblocking catalyst dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTL) were added andevacuation continued for 15 minutes. Then the product was filled intocartridges for storage.

EXAMPLE 11

300 g of the p-hydroxybenzoate-blocked prepolymer of example 5 wereheated to 50° C. in 1 liter reactor. After 1/2 hour degassing of theprepolymer, 3 g of diethyltoluene diethylamine (DEDTA) were added andevacuation continued 15 minutes. Then the product was filled intocartridges for storage.

EXAMPLE 12

300 g of the p-hydroxybenzoate-blocked prepolymer of example 5 wereheated to 50° C. in a 1 liter reactor. After 1/2 hour degassing of theprepolymer, 3.5 g of dicyanodiamide were added and evacuation continuedfor 15 minutes. Then the product was filled into cartridges for storage.

EXAMPLE 13

300 g of the p-hydroxybenzoate-blocked prepolymer of example 5 wereheated to 50° C. in a 1 liter reactor. After 1/2 hour degassing of theprepolymer, 5 g of the phthalic acid anhydride/triethylene diamineadduct were added and evacuation continued for 15 minutes. Then theproduct was filled into cartridges for storage.

EXAMPLE 14

300 g of the p-hydroxybenzoate-blocked prepolymer of example 5 wereheated to 50° C. in a 1 liter reactor. After 1/2 hour degassing of theprepolymer, 7.7 g of 4,4'-methylene dianiline/NaCl complex were addedand evacuation continued for 15 minutes. Then the product was filledinto cartridges for storage.

EXAMPLE 15

300 of g of epsilon caprolactam-blocked prepolymer from example 7 wereheated to 50° C. in a 1 liter reactor. After 1/2 hour degassing of theprepolymer 7 g of 4,4'-diaminodicyclohexylmethane were added andevacuation continued for 15 minutes. Then the product was filled intocartridges for storage.

EXAMPLE 16

300 g of the methyl ethyl ketoxim-blocked prepolymer of example 6 wereheated to 50° C. in a 1 liter reactor. After 1/2 hour degassing of theprepolymer, 4.5 g of the methyl ethyl ketimineblocked4,4'-diaminodicyclohexylmethane were added and evacuation continued for15 minutes. Then the product was filled into cartridges for storage.

EXAMPLE 17

The adhesive of example 10 was applied from a cartridge preheated to 60°C. in the form of an adhesive bead to a glass coated with primer. Thenthe bead was allowed to cool to room temperature. At this time it becamesolid and nontacky.

EXAMPLE 18

The bead of adhesive of example 10 applied to glass was stored at roomtemperature and normal air humidity for 1 month. During the storage nosignificant change in the consistency of the adhesive bead occurred.

EXAMPLE 19

20 wt. parts of a polypropylene oxide diol (OHZ 57) and 1.2 equivalentpercent of the stabilizer ethylene diamine were mixed in a 1 literreactor at room temperature. Then 10.5 wt. parts of TDIH were dispersedin and the entire mixture stirred for 1 hour. After addition of 0.4 wt.parts of DETDA and 40.6 wt. parts of jeffamine T5000 the mixture wasdegassed for 30 minutes. The 12 wt. parts of soot, 16 wt. parts ofkaolin as a filler and 0.06 wt. parts of DBTL as a catalyst were addedand the degassing continued for 30 minutes. Finally the product wasfilled into cartridges for storage.

EXAMPLE 20

5 wt. parts of a polyester polyol (OHZ 32) together with 40 wt. parts ofa branched polyurethane polyether polyol (OHZ 30) were melted at 60° C.in a 1 liter reactor. After cooling to room temperature, 1 equivalentpercent of jeffamine D400 was added and then 11 wt. parts of TDIHdispersed in. After stirring for 1 hour 19.3 wt. parts of jeffamineD2000, 0.5 wt. parts of DETDA and 0.05 wt. parts of DBTL as a catalystwere added and degassing continued for 30 minutes. Then 5 wt. parts ofsoot, 6 wt. parts of carbosil TS 720 and 14 wt. parts of kaolin asfillers were introduced. The mixture was degassed for 30 minutes andfilled into cartridges for storage.

Preparation of the Polyurethane Polyol

67 wt. parts of 4,4'-MDI, 250 wt. parts of a polypropylene oxide diol(OHZ 57), 24 wt. parts of a polypropylene oxide triol (OHZ 36), 433 wt.parts of trimethylol propane and 225 wt. parts of a commerciallysoftener were weighed into a 2 liter reactor with a nitrogen fitting andheated to 70° C. After addition of 0.01 wt. % of tin octoate as acatalyst, the reaction mixture was stirred for 2 hours and filled forstorage.

EXAMPLE 21

22 wt. parts of a polypropylene oxide triol (OHZ 36) with 4.3 equivalentpercent of diethylene triamine were stirred at room temperature in a 1liter reactor. Then 25 wt. parts of the pulverized IPDI trimer T1890were dispersed in for 1 hour. This was followed by the addition of 18wt. parts of jeffamine T5000 and 4 wt. parts of DETDA. After stirringfor another 30 minutes 10 wt. parts of soot and 15 wt. parts of calciumcarbonate were added as fillers and 0.05 wt. parts of DBTL as acatalyst. The mixture was degassed for 30 minutes and filled intocartridges for storage.

EXAMPLE 22

12.5 wt. parts of 4,4'-MDI, 22 wt. parts of polypropylene oxide diol(OHZ 57) and 43 wt. parts of a polypropylene oxide triol (OHZ 36) and0.01 wt. parts of DBTL in 22.5 wt. parts of softener were reacted at 60°C. for 2 hours in a 2 liter reactor with a nitrogen fitting. This wasfollowed by the addition of 0.05 wt. of benzoquinone as a stabilizer.Then within 30 minutes 4 wt. parts of 2-hydroxyethylacrylate were addedin drops. The reaction mixture was then stirred for another 15 minutesand degassed for 15 minutes. Since no NCO bands could be detected in IRspectrum any longer the product was filled into a container for storage.

EXAMPLE 23

12 wt. parts of 4,4'-MDI, 21 wt. parts of a polypropylene oxide diol(OHZ 57), 38 wt. parts of a polypropylene oxide triol (OHZ 36) and 0.01grams of DBTL as catalyst were reacted for 2 hours at 60° C. in 22.5 wt.parts of softener in a 2 liter reactor. Then 5 wt. parts of anisocyanate-terminated polyester-prepolymer were melted into the reactionmixture. This was followed by the addition of 0.05 wt. parts ofbenzoquinone and 4.5 wt. parts of 2-hydroxyethylacrylate. The reactionmixture was stirred for 1 hour and degassed for 15 minutes. Then 5 wt.parts of soot, 6 wt. parts of HDK and 22 parts of talcum were mixed withthe prepolymer, then it was degassed for 1 hour and filled intocartridges for storage.

EXAMPLE 24 Warming in the Convection Oven

The adhesive bead applied to the glass and stored at room temperaturewas heated for 10 minutes in a convection oven preheated to 150° C.After this time the temperature in the adhesive bead was 140° C. Afterthis the adhesive bead was allowed to cool again. After 6 hours theadhesive had cross-linked.

EXAMPLE 25 Ohaic Heating

350 g of the blocked prepolymer of example 10 were mixed in a laboratoryplanetary mixer with 100 g of soot and 50 g of steel fibers (BEKISHIELDS GR 90/C 03/5) in a vacuum for 1 hour at 50° C. The product wasfilled into aluminum cartridges. From this product a triangular bead 12cm long was applied to a glass plate. At both ends an electrode 1 cmdeep was pressed into the triangular bead. The two electrodes wereconnected to a DC or AC voltage source (0 to 250 V, 5 A). For 30 secondsan AC or DC voltage of 50 V was applied. After the current was switchedoff the temperature in the adhesive bead was measured with a thermalsensor (135° C. after 30 seconds at 50 V).

EXAMPLE 26 Microwave Heating

325 g of the blocked prepolymer of example 10 were mixed with 25 g ofsoot and 150 g of fillers for 1 hour at 50° C. in a vacuum in alaboratory planetary mixer. The product was filled into an aluminumcartridge. A 13 cm long triangular bead was applied from this product toa glass plate. The adhesive bead was irradiated in a microwave oven for40 sec. at 1000 W power with microwaves. The bead temperature wasmeasured with a fiber optic temperature measuring device and recordedwith a flat bed recorder. After this microwave treatment 130° C. wasmeasured in the adhesive bead.

EXAMPLE 27 High Frequency Heating/Tensile Test

325 g of the blocked prepolymer of example 10 were mixed with 25 g ofsoot and 150 g of fillers for 1 hour at 50° C. in a vacuum in alaboratory planetary mixer. The product was filled into an aluminumcartridge. The adhesive was applied to a glass substrate (25×100×4 mm).The sample was treated in an HF system (27 MHz) for 30 sec. with a powerof 100 W/g of adhesive. The temperature in the adhesive was measuredwith a fiber optic temperature measuring device and recorded with a flatbed recorder. After 30 seconds the temperature of 140° C. was measuredin the adhesive.

EXAMPLE 28 Induction Heating and Tensile Test

323 g of the blocked prepolymer of example 10 were mixed with 25 g offiller and 150 g of ferrite powder (Ferritkerne N 27, ground) in avacuum for 1 hour at 50° C. in a laboratory planetary mixer. The productwas filled into an aluminum cartridge. With this product a 5 cm longtriangular bead was applied to a glass plate. The glass plate with thetriangular bead was placed in the center of an induction coil of 60 mmdiameter which was connected to an induction generator of 3 kW power.The frequency of this device was ca. 200 kHz. The power of theinstallation was controlled by a microprocessor. The temperature curvewas measured with a thermocouple and recorded with a flat bed recorder.

After 18 seconds of inductive heating 150° C. was measured. Thistemperature was maintained for another 30 seconds. 10 seconds aftercompletion of the heating the adhesive-glass module was joined by meansof a perforated diaphragm (hole size 50×20 mm) and a suitable apparatusto an enameled peel-off body (steel, 40×10×56 mm) in such a way that aglass-metal adhesion of 40×10×4 mm was formed. The material which bulgedout was removed with 2 mm wide bent spatula.

Then the sample was exposed from the glass side by means of an inductioncoil to a magnetic induction field for 10 seconds. After the currentsource was switched off the adhesive had hardened. After conditioningfor 24 hours at 23° C. and 50% relative humidity it was pulled on atensile testing machine at a tension of 10 N and a speed of 400 mm/min.until it broke. A maximal force of 4.5 MPa was measured and a cohesivefracture was observed inside the bead of adhesive.

EXAMPLE 29

A triangular bead of the product of example 19 was applied to a glassplate. The glass plate with the triangular bead was irradiated with ashort wave infrared source from below. After 20 seconds, a temperatureof 100° C. was measured at the base of the adhesive bead. After thistime the base of the adhesive bead had hardened to a depth of ca. 1.5 mmwhile the upper part of the adhesive bead was soft and uncrosslinked.Approximately 10 seconds after the infrared heating source was turnedoff the adhesive was joined to a piece of steel overlapping in such away that a tensile-shearing test piece with an overlap width of 10 mmand a layer thickness of 3 mm was created. The material which bulged outwas removed with a 2 mm wide bent spatula. Then the sample was exposedfor 7 seconds from the glass side to a magnetic induction field producedby an induction coil. After the current source was switched off theentire adhesive had hardened. After storage for 24 hours at 23° C. and50% relative humidity the determination of the tensile shearing strengthyielded a value of 3.5 MPa with a cohesive fracture inside the adhesivebead.

EXAMPLE 30

A triangular bead of the product of example 23 was applied to a glassplate. The glass plate with the triangular bead was irradiated with ashort wave infrared source from below. After 30 seconds a temperature of130° C. was measured at the base of adhesive bead. After this time theadhesive bead had hardened at the base to the depth of about 1 mm, whilethe upper part of the adhesive bead was soft and uncrosslinked.Approximately 10 seconds after the infrared heating source was switchedoff the adhesive was joined to a steel substrate in such a way that atensile-shearing test piece with an overlap width of 10 mm and a layerthickness of 3 mm was created. The material bulging out was removed witha 2 mm wide bent spatula. Then the sample was exposed from the glassside to a magnetic induction field generated by an induction coil for 7seconds. After the current source was switched off the adhesive hadhardened.

EXAMPLE 31 References Example

The test from example 29 was repeated but without irradiation with theinfrared source. After heating for 15 seconds by magnetic induction fromthe glass side a temperature of 170° C. was measured on the steel side.After the current source was switched off the adhesive on the steel sidehad hardened. On the glass side a layer of unhardened material wasfound.

EXAMPLE 32

The test in example 29 was repeated with the difference that theinduction heating was performed by using a power control which limitedthe temperature at the adhesive interface with the steel to 120° C.After 15 seconds the adhesive was completely hardened through.

EXAMPLE 33 References Example

The test of example 32 was repeated but without prior irradiation byinfrared radiation. It took 3 minutes until the adhesive had hardenedthrough completely.

What is claimed is:
 1. Process for gluing a modular component to anothercomponent which comprises:applying in the soft state along the edge ofthe modular component a profiled strip of a latent reactive adhesivewhich adhesive comprises:(a) one or more polyurethane prepolymers withblocked isocyanate groups; (b) one or more polyurethane prepolymersconsisting of polyols and/or polyamines and of encapsulatedpolyisocyanates; or (c) one or more polyurethanes prepolymers withradically polymerizable groups; heating the adhesive strip to itsactivation temperature of 70° C. to 180° C., along the adhesive stripcontact surface with the modular component in order to cause the portionof adhesive strip in contact with the modular component to react whereinthe one or more polyurethane prepolymers are derived from the reactionof one or more polyisocyanates and a mixture of polyols wherein 5 to 15percent by weight of the mixture of polyols based on the weight of themixture of polyols is one or more crystallizing polyester polyols andthe remainder of the mixture of polyols is one or more polyetherpolyols; allowing the portion of adhesive strip in contact with themodular component to harden whereas the remainder of the adhesive stripis uncured; transporting the modular component to an assembly line;activating, if necessary, the uncured part of the adhesive strip to makeit plastically deformable but non-flowing over the entire cross section;contacting the storable module component with the other a secondcomponent to which it is to be glued, pressing the modular component andthe second component together until the adhesive has solidified; andallowing the adhesive to finish reacting without further action; whereinthe difference between the application temperature at which the adhesivestrip is applied and the activation temperature at which of the adhesiveis activated at least about 20° C. and the adhesive displays a meltingtemperature of 35° C. to 60° C.
 2. A process according to claim 1wherein the adhesive comprises one or more polyurethanes with radicallypolymerizable groups.
 3. A process for bonding a modular component intoa structure comprising;(a) applying to a modular component a profiledadhesive comprising;i. one or more polyurethane prepolymers havingblocked isocyanate groups; ii. one or more polyurethane prepolymersconsisting of polyols and/or polyamines and encapsulated polyisocyanatesor; iii. one or more polyurethane prepolymers with radicallypolymerizable groupswherein the one or more polyurethane prepolymers arederived from the reaction of one or more polyisocyanates and a mixtureof polyols wherein 5 to 15 percent by weight of the mixture of polyolsbased on the weight of the mixture of polyols is one or morecrystalizing polyester polyols and the remainder of the mixture ofpolyols is one or more polyether polyols and the adhesive displays amelting temperature of 35° C. to 60° C.; (b) exposing the adhesive to aheat source such that the adhesive is heated to an activationtemperature of from 70° C. to 180° C.; and (c) contacting the modularcomponent with a second component with the adhesive located between themodular component and the second component under conditions such thatthe adhesive cures and bonds the two component together.
 4. The processaccording to claim 3 wherein the difference between the temperature atwhich the adhesive is applied and the temperature at which the adhesiveis activated is at least 20° C.
 5. The process according to claim 4which further comprises transporting the modular component to a locationremote from the location where the adhesive is applied.
 6. The processaccording to claim 4 wherein the modular component comprises glass. 7.The process according to claim 6 wherein the second component is avehicle.
 8. The process of claim 4 wherein the activation temperature isfrom 70° C. to 150° C.
 9. A method of bonding a modular component to asecond component which comprises:(a) exposing an adhesive to atemperature such that it softens,wherein the adhesive comprises; i. oneor more polyurethane prepolymers having blocked isocyanate groups; ii.one or more polyurethane prepolymers consisting of polyols and/orpolyamines and encapsulated polyisocyanates; or iii. one or morepolyurethane prepolymers with radically polymerizable groups;wherein theone or more polyurethane prepolymers are derived from the reaction ofone or more polyisocyanates and a mixture of polyols wherein 5 to 15percent by weight of the mixture of polyols based on the weight of themixture of polyols is one or more crystalizing polyester polyols and theremainder of the mixture of polyols is one or more polyether polyols andthe adhesive displays a melting temperature of 35° C. to 60° C.; (b)applying a profiled strip of the adhesive to the portion of the modularcomponent to be bonded to the second component; (c) exposing theadhesive to a heat source such that the adhesive is heated to anactivation temperature of from 70° C. to 180° C.; (d) contacting themodular component with a second component with the adhesive locatedbetween the modular component and the second component under conditionssuch that the adhesive cures and bonds the two components together.